See pictures, access new tools, and engage with what’s to come from this inspiring event
We set out to offer something different at the 2024 Alignment for Progress (A4P) conference. Unlike other events, we don’t focus on one profession or product, but gather in cross-collaborative, bi-partisan support of visionary 90-90-90 goals: By 2033, 90% of the population is screened for mental health/substance use disorder (MH/SUD), 90% who need it receive quality treatment, and 90% manage symptoms and achieve recovery.
Audience members and speakers at the conference included White House officials, providers, payors, politicians, advocates, nonprofit leaders and those with lived experience. It isn’t often these groups sit in one room to hear wide reaching sessions on what unites us. About 85% of attendee respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the conference fills a gap in the mental health and substance use field — and we are taking their enthusiasm and our learnings forward aggressively in 2025 with a variety of new tools and resources.
>>> You can now access all tools announced at the conference here!
Here is what we heard and how we are responding:
Everyone Needs a Goal — and A Plan To Get There
When we talk about our 90-90-90 goals, we often get one question: How will you measure it? At the conference, our President and CEO Rebecca O. Bagley joined Kana Enomoto from McKinsey Health Institute to discuss some of the roadmaps and tools that will help us measure our progress toward reaching 90-90-90, building on an interactive, systems-building map developed to holistically envision the MH/SUD ecosystem where you live.
From the Panel “Meeting Our Shared Goals: How We’ll Achieve the 90-90-90 by 2033 Goals”: Kana Enomoto of McKinsey Health Institute and Rebecca O. Bagley, President and CEO of The Kennedy Forum
Additionally, our generous A4P sponsor and partner KPMG debuted a pioneering technology to help visualize 90-90-90 progress, transforming colossal data sets into actionable insights, demonstrating how we can, like never before, view, use, and leverage MH/SUD metrics at scale.
>>> Want to attend a webinar to learn how you can leverage this tool for your own work or advocacy?
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From the Panel “Measuring Progress: How We’ll Know We’re on Track to the 90-90-90 by 2033”: Ashraf Shehata, Charisse Dean, Anita Whitehead from KPMG join Patrick J. Kennedy onstage.
We Have to Identify and Address Issues Early, Honestly, and at Scale
Despite enormous progress in different areas of MH/SUD work, systemic issues inhibit structural change that is necessary for rebuilding how our health care system treats these conditions. At the conference, we focused on some of the largest:
Workforce
More than 122 million Americans live in “mental health deserts” where providers are absent or in short supply. Projections through 2036 show significant shortages of counselors, psychologists, therapists, and psychiatrists, according to the The National Center for Health Workforce. To create sufficient supply to meet demand, we must:
- Expand the workforce through better recruitment, retention, and payment, including for expanded roles like peer specialists, certified alcohol and drug counselors, licensed clinical social workers and psychiatric nurse practitioners. SEE CAREER PATHWAYS HERE, OR SIGN UP FOR EMAIL TO SEE ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR WORKFORCE WEBINARS.
- Pursue meaningful policy recommendations, like enhancing payment and reimbursement, creating more effective licensure and standardization, offering cost-effective and non-prohibitive education and training, and using data and technology to make informed decisions. SEE WORKFORCE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS HERE.
From the panel “Workforce Pathways: Policy Barriers and How to Fix Them”: Teresa Garate, Health Management Associates, Anthony Carter, National Council for Mental Wellbeing, Erin Parks, Equip Health, Stuart Archer, Oceans Healthcare
Data
Measuring progress for MH/SUD treatment is challenging because payors, providers, and patients historically have not agreed on standards for measurement. Payors are typically trying to reduce costs, providers are trying to improve specific symptoms, and patients are hoping to improve their overall functionality and wellness. At the conference, we heard multiple perspectives about the most promising policy recommendations to harmonize these metrics for greater transparency and more accurate data. SEE DATA POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS HERE.
From the Panel “Advancing the Frontiers of Access and Quality”: Malekeh Amini, Trayt.Health, Brad Lerner, Elevance Health, Sara Feigenholtz, State Senator of the Illinois District 6, and David Smith, Third Horizon Strategies
Youth
To address the ongoing youth MH/SUD crisis, panelists discussed three primary pathways for ensuring that we work upstream to catch issues early before they worsen. The panels focused on a few primary mechanisms for this work, like:
- Addressing the challenge of sustainable financing of youth mental health services in schools, with engagement from elite education leaders.
- Illuminating emerging youth mental health and addiction issues on a national level to address issues head-on.
- Providing YMH recommendations for state leaders, guiding them to enact demonstrably successful YMH policies and programs.
From the panel “Sustaining Momentum in School-based Mental Health”: Amy Kennedy, Co-Founder of The Kennedy Forum, Alex Briscoe, California Children’s Trust, and Alexia Everett, U.S. Department of Education
Those With Lived Experience
Nine profiles highlighted in “Profiles in Mental Courage” joined co-authors Patrick J. Kennedy and Stephen Fried on the stage, poignantly showing us another pressing parity need. “People understand that we have waited too long on many aspects of mental health parity, and one of them is this: It’s parity of understanding,” Fried told us. The panelists got us one step closer to that goal, and we are profoundly grateful for their stories. WATCH THE FULL PANEL HERE.
The Power of MH/SUD Leaders Can Radically Change the Status Quo
Discussing the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to equitable coverage for MH/SUD, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra told the audience that you “don’t do mild” when you’re in the position to help others. Domestic Policy Advisor to President Biden Neera Tanden, and Assistant Secretary at the Employee Benefits Security Administration Lisa M. Gomez, touched on the practical ways that each person in the audience, from payors, providers, advocates, nonprofits and more, can lead to the long-term change that so many of us seek.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra
>>> See how you can join The Kennedy Forum in ensuring Parity here.
Speakers from the Biden-Harris administration further discussed how the federal government is playing its part like never before, covering a wide range of efforts, like the 1-833-TLC-MAMA Hotline for maternal mental health, the expansion of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) for 24-hour care, and the success of the website Findsupport.gov to locate a provider.
From the panel “Advancing the 90s by Leveraging HHS”: Terri Tanielian, The White House, Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Carole Johnson, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Admiral Rachel Levine, Department of Health and Human Services
From the private and nonprofit sectors, 11 members of the CEO Alliance for Mental Health announced a unanimous endorsement of the 90-90-90 vision. This “radical collaboration for change” is an unprecedented relationship that arose to create a unified vision to confront MH/SUD in the U.S.
From the panel “CEO Alliance for Mental Health’s Unified Vision and its integration into the 90-90-90” Goals” including 11 members of the CEO Alliance for Mental Health.
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